SHOFAR Mar13_WEB.pub

Temple Sinai Events Calendar
March 2013 / 5773 Adar —Nissan 5773
President’s Message
2
Shabbat Schedule
2
Welcome New Members
3
Rabbi’s Message
3
Tikvah Preschool Message
4
Director of Education Message
5
Mitzvah Matters
6
Cruvant Library
6
Brotherhood Message
7
Social Action Message
7
Sisterhood Message
9
Sparks of Torah
10
Remembrances & Tributes
10
Patrons & Benefactors
12
Committees & Auxiliaries
12
In Memoriam
12
Mission Statement
B’nai Mitzvah
13
Temple Sinai is a Jewish congregation which seeks to share the principles of Reform Judaism with our
congregants and their families. We provide a home for assembly, worship and study. We encourage
social responsibility, a sense of community, a relationship with our fellow Jews and the State of Israel.
March Calendar
15
We encourage each to find their connection to our Jewish heritage and traditions.
MA R C H 2 0 1 3 / 5 7 7 3 A D A R — NI S S A N 5 7 7 3
PAGE 2
A Message From The Temple President
Jack Olshansky
Did you ever notice
that every so often the
Jewish calendar and
certain events seem to
cross and make the
dates much more relevant. I can see such
relevance with Passover approaching and
ending as April begins. I can imagine some
interesting similarities for our ancestors
and for our life at Temple Sinai. For the
Israelites, they celebrated the beginnings
of a new life after crossing the Red Sea.
For Temple Sinai, we celebrate our B'nai
Mitzvah on Hovely Lane with our Gala, recognizing those who helped lead us here.
We didn't leave Egypt; we did leave Monterey Avenue.
soloist, leads us as we excitedly explore new music for old prayers.
After Passover, the leadership of the Israelites was defined with the successful crossing of the Red Sea. For Temple Sinai, as
Passover ends, we enter a new time of
leadership by embracing Rabbi Glenn Ettman as our spiritual leader.
Our ancestors were asked to give of
their belongings, each as they could,
to build the ark. We have asked of our
partners to give, as they can, to keep
our ark and our building and our
schools open.
The children leaving Egypt had to be
excited on this new journey. The journey of our school children carries its
own form of excitement, as Miri, Arava
and Debbie continue to create new
learning challenges, with even more to
come from Rabbi Ettman.
The sage advice of Moses's father-inlaw brought new voices to deal with
issues of the day. At this time, Temple
Sinai's nominating committee will bring
new voices to the Board of Trustees as
we also welcome the participation of
Rabbi Ettman.
Miriam and the women sang and danced;
we will sing and dance at our gala.
Miriam's excitement led to the new words
and music. Randy Tichauer, our cantorial
BROTHERHOOD
DINNER AND
A MOVIE
SATURDAY
APRIL 27, 2013
6 PM
Featured Film
Great for the whole family!
Charlie Jones, a down-and-out exbaseball player, needs to meet a community service requirement by coaching. The problem is, no team will take
him -- except the Yankles, an obscure
orthodox yeshiva baseball team
desperate for a coach.
SHABBAT SERVICE
SCHEDULE
MARCH 2013
Friday, March 1
7 p.m. Family Shabbat Service—
Grades 6
Saturday, March 2
9:00 a.m. Torah Study
10:00 a.m. Shabbat ServiceGabriella George Bat Mitzvah
Friday, March 8
7:30 p.m. Shabbat ServiceSisterhood
Saturday, March 9
9:00 a.m. Torah Study
10:15 a.m. Shabbat Service
Friday, March 15
7:30 p.m. Shabbat Zimra Service—
in honor of Rabbi Jordan Ofseyer
Saturday, March 16
9 a.m. Torah Study
10:00 a.m. Shabbat Service—Jacob
Cherlin Bar Mitzvah
Friday, March 22
7:30 p.m. Shabbat Service
Saturday, March 23
9 a.m. Torah Study
10:00 a.m. Shabbat Service—Raya
Cowle Bat Mitzvah
Friday, March 29
7:30 p.m. Shabbat Service
Saturday, March 30
9 a.m. Torah Study
10:15 a.m. Shabbat Service
MA R C H 2 0 1 3 / 5 7 7 3 A D A R — NI S S A N 5 7 7 3
PAGE 3
A Message From the Rabbi
Rabbi Jordan Ofseyer
PASSOVER CONNECTIONS
There is a wonderful Yiddish
expression, which in translation reads “If you live long
enough, you will get to see everything” –
meaning, even things you might otherwise
find hard to believe. To illustrate the truth
of this wisdom, consider the following amazing true stories concerning Passover: The
first, from the Wall Street Journal; the second, from an 18th Century Rabbinic Commentary from Poland, and the last, from the
Vatican - (Yes, that Vatican – the one in
Rome!)
When we celebrate the Passover Seder, we
pour four cups of wine for each participant.
If your home was like mine when I was a
boy, the cups were filled with sweet red wine
- nothing fancy, right?
Well, that was then and this is now. Did you
know there are over 400 different brands and
kinds of kosher wine for Passover? Did you
know that kosher wine has become a multimillion dollar business; that it is estimated
that 40% of the customers who purchase
kosher wine are not Jewish; that you can
now buy fine kosher wine which comes from
(among other places) Italy, France, Chile, or
California, not only from Israel? Cabernet
Savignon, Chenin Blanc, and many other fine
wines I can’t even pronounce, much less
know a great deal about . Consider this
amazing quote from a Wall Street Journal
article, written by their food and wine critic
(clearly, a wine expert, but clearly also not
Jewish.) He evidently knows that Jews drink
wine on Passover, but shows little evidence
that he knows a thing about a Seder! He
seems to think a Seder is a dinner during
which guests drink wine with each course.
This is what he recommends: “As people
arrive, pour a glass of Yarden Blanc from
Israel – “crisp, sparkling.” When guests
move to the table, “open the Hagefen Chardonnay from California. As dinner is served,
offer guests a choice of red or white
(remember those words – we will return to
them soon.)
What would our parents have said if they had
been told that an article on which kind of
kosher gourmet wine to serve at the Seder
appeared in the Wall Street Journal? What?
“Serve red or white, as your guests prefer,”
he wrote.
I recall, when I read that
line, a shiver went through me, because I
remember another reference to red or
white wine in Jewish history. I couldn’t
help but marvel at the difference in any
life experience as Jews – then and now.
or for any such ritual.” “Can you get me
a copy?” asked the priest. “This is available only in Hebrew; I will translate it if
you wish,” and so he did.
In an 18th Century Rabbinic Commentary from Poland, I read about the ideal
way of performing the Mitzvah of the
four cups of wine. It is with red wine.
When the Rabbi goes on to explain,”Since we live in a hostile population, our neighbors celebrate Easter,
often during the same week as Passover. And, since they are often told
during Easter services that Jews made
their wine out of the blood of Christian
children, and since mobs inflamed this
way, sometimes break into Jewish
homes and desecrate the Seder looking
for the blood of Christian children, I
decree “by the authority vested in me,
from now on in this community of Poland, we shall use only white wine, because of the false rumor that we make
wine out of Christian blood, So do I
rule!” In his community, in his time,
this was the law Jews drank white wine
– not red – to protect themselves from
that blood _________. Imagine! Now,
the Wall Street Journal critic can say,
matter of factly, “white or red” without
he or we, for that matter, realizing the
full impact of the historical connection.
Several months later, he received a
phone call from home, telling him that
this question had been referred all the
way up to the Vatican, which ruled that,
when necessary, as with priests recovering from alcoholism, grape juice instead
of wine may be used at mass. The Vatican told the priest it based its ruling on
the decision by the holachic authority of
Rabbi Moshe Feinstein!
A final example of how far we have
come: Rabbi Abraham Iversky is a
well-known Hassidic Rabbi from a long
line of distinguished Hassidic rabbis. He
is also a famous psychiatrist, teaching
at a Catholic University in Pittsburgh. A
substance abuse expert, Rabbi Iversky
founded a rehab clinic there. One day,
he received a Catholic priest as a patient, a man suffering from alcoholism.
After some months, the priest makes
progress and is ready to check out of
the clinic. He asks the rabbi, “When I
return to the church and have to drink
wine at mass, what should I do?”
Rabbi Iversky responds, “Better if you
drank grape juice instead of wine.”
“Really,” says the priest, “How do you
know I would be allowed to do that?”
To which the rabbi responded, “I don’t
know the rule in Catholicism, but in
traditional Judaism, our greatest holachic (legal) authority wrote that recovering alcoholics may use grape juice
instead of wine at the Passover Seder,
Several centuries ago, remember, Jews
in Poland were instructed by their leading rabbi to drink only white wine at the
Seder for fear of mobs incited by Catholics at Easter. Today, the Vatican permits grape juice at Mass for priests recovering from alcoholism because of a
ruling by a rabbi based on his interpretation of Jewish law! Savor these stories.
Together with your wine and your Seder,
a joyous Passover for all of us,
Rabbi Jordan Ofseyer
WELCOME NEW
MEMBERS
Bayla & Boni Adelman
Norma Stempler
PAGE 4
MA R C H 2 0 1 3 / 5 7 7 3 A D A R — NI S S A N 5 7 7 3
A Message From Tikvah Prechool Director
Debbie Midcalf
One of the pleasures of
working with young children is creating childhood experiences
that mold and shape their young minds
and hearts while creating lasting childhood memories.
Recently, we did just that when we
treated our preschool children to a funfilled day complete with snow in the desert. Yes, snow in the desert! The trucks
arrived early in the morning and created
a magical wonderland complete with a
snow hill and snow play area. Children,
parents, and teachers all had great fun
sledding down our snow hill, building
snowpeople, throwing snowballs and
playing in the snow. It was a very memorable day and one that the children will
remember for some time to come. In
fact, one of our little ones remembered
that last year she was afraid to sled
down the hill and that her teacher
climbed on top of the snow hill and
she went down the hill secure on
the lap of her teacher. With that
memory in place she was able to
sled down the hill on her own this
year! Our preschool children have
one chance at an early childhood
education; therefore, it’s up to us to
create a memorable learning environment. While their individual
memories are different, the one
thing they all remember is that they
were loved and that they had joyful
experiences while in preschool.
We are very excited to partner with
Jewish Community School of the
Desert, Temple Sinai’s Religious
School, and The PJ Library to offer
a Havdalah Pajama Party on March
9. It will be an evening of
Havdalah, friendship, song, and
crafts. And, thanks to Kathy Kapler
who graciously donated the funds to
cover the cost of a meal, families will enjoy a delicious meal catered by Sherman’s
Deli. If you would like to meet the young
families of our community please stop by
Temple Sinai’s Social Hall the evening of
March 9 to join our festivities.
Tikvah Preschool is committed to fostering
developmental growth while strengthening Jewish values and principles in young
children through rich and meaningful educational experiences in a secure, nurturing, and stimulating environment. It is a
privilege to serve our families and community by caring for our next generation.
We are currently enrolling children ages 25. We offer a flexible schedule and accept
children who are in diapers. Please contact me at 760.568.6779 to arrange a tour
of the school. Come see why Tikvah Preschool is the happiest place in the world!
SNOW DAY AT TIKVAH
PRESCHOOL
Bluma
Lily
Zac
Kyla
Emma
and
David
MA R C H 2 0 1 3 / 5 7 7 3 A D A R — NI S S A N 5 7 7 3
PAGE 5
A Message From The Director of Education
Miri Ketayi
Our goal at Rabbi
Avi Levine Beit
Sefer / Religious
School is to build
a strong Jewish
identity
among
our students and
cultivate a lifetime commitment to the
Jewish people.
It has been proven, that one of the
most successful ways to keep Jewish
youth engaged with their Jewish heritage is through Jewish summer camp
experiences. The impact of Jewish camp
is immediate—campers return home
connected to a community and friends
that will last them a lifetime. And it
doesn’t stop there. Children with pivotal
Jewish camp experiences are more
likely to become adults who value their
Jewish heritage, support Jewish causes,
and take on leadership roles in their
communities.
With that being acknowledged, Temple
Sinai hosted its third Jewish camp fair.
Four different Jewish camps throughout
Southern California came to present
their camp to our community. It was
very encouraging to find out that since
we started Temple Sinai’s annual camp
fairs, the local population of students
who attend Jewish summer camps in the
summer has tripled!!!
In order to introduce our younger students
to this magical experience, at the beginning of February, our 4th-6th Grade went
on an amazing weekend retreat at Camp
Mountain Chai in Big Bear. Our students
had a wonderful weekend filled with fun,
amazing informal Judaic programs, camp
style Shabbat, singing, mixers, social programs , delicious food and overall a fantastic camp experience, which included even
some snow!!!
Special thank you to our dear congregant,
Trudy Sandler, for her donation to fund
scholarships for this weekend.
Once again, thank you to all our congregants and non-congregants for your generous contribution to the teens’ Super Bowl
dessert box fundraiser. This popular endeavor by the Fab 5 Confirmation Class of
2013 (10th grade) was a touchdown. The
teens helped bake brownies and cookies
(and dip strawberries!), fulfill orders in Super Bowl-themed boxes and personally
deliver the boxes to our members’ homes,
which were a big hit. Thanks to your generosity, the teens have now raised $900.
They are working on a proposal to present
a special outdoor area on our temple campus in memory of Rabbi Avi Levine.
As many of you know, social action and
community outreach is a main pillar of our
Midrasha/Teen Academy program. In midFebruary, our students took action as the
8th – 10th graders delivered more than 30
bags (!) of non-perishable food to the
F.I.N.D. warehouse, the largest local food
bank. The food was collected by the teens
over a period of time including the
“admission” (food for donation) to our Hanukkah Pajamukkah party. The teens toured
the facility and were inspired by the sheer
volume of F.I.N.D.’s outreach: Through its
various agencies, the organization feeds
some 80,000 “food insecure” people
monthly right in our own community. That
represents seven to nine million pounds of
food every year!
It was an eye opener to realize how many
residents – including 37,000 children – do
not have enough food to eat every day. The
students will again start collecting food for
another delivery. Look for the decorated
bins in the lobby. Great job, teens. Mitzvahs
abound!
Some dates to remember:
April 19-21 7th & 8th Grade Shabatton in Big
Bear
June 30 – July 14 Teen’s trip to Israel!!!
MA R C H 2 0 1 3 / 5 7 7 3 A D A R — NI S S A N 5 7 7 3
PAGE 6
MITZVAH MATTERS AND FOOD DELIVERY PROJECT
A Message from Gail Jacobs
Our hard-working, dedicated volunteers buy, sort, pack and deliver literally tons of food every year. Occasionally, we
get a “thank you” card from one of our grateful clients, Here are some that I recently received:
“This is something you REALLY need to hear. Thanks for being so nice.” “Dear Gail, I want to thank you for all you
have done for me this past few years. You are amazing and so is you caring staff.” “Thanks Gail. Thank you for my good food this
last year.”
Remember, Pesach is coming this month and our Jewish clients really appreciate special holiday goodies. Bring a bag of Passover food
to the Temple. It’s a mitzvah!
May the Joy of Mitzvah spread its goodness everywhere.
CRUVANT LIBRARY
Gail Jacobs, Chair
I just finished reading a really interesting book and it’s available in the Library for your enjoyment. Maggie Anton’s new book, Rav Hisda’s Daughter is a story about a Jewish woman in 3rd century Babylon. The cover describes it as “a novel of love, the Talmud and sorcery.” If you loved Anton’s Rashi’s Daughters , you will really
enjoy this new book – and it’s available for your reading pleasure. Come upstairs and check it out.
Pesach is coming and do we have a Haggadah for you! You have plenty of time to organize a new seder this year. Of course, we
have many versions of the traditional Haggadah, most of which are beautifully illustrated. We even have a new 30 Minute Seder, if
you have “shpilkes”. We have a copy of the Sarajevo Haggadah which was “gifted” to us by the Ellenbogens many years ago. If you
are interested, you can read People of The Book by Geraldine Brooks, which tells the story of this amazing Haggadah.
Regular Library hours:
Sunday – Friday
10:00 am – Noon
Friday Evening
During the Oneg Shabbat
B. S[ul J[]o\s
Tr[v_l Consult[nt
(760) 341-2558
73800 M[sson
P[lm D_s_rt C@ 92260
Phon_ (760) 776-1000
F[x (760) 346-3630
The “HIT THE JACKPOT!” Raffle
The “pot” is getting bigger, but we still need to fill it!
The more tickets we sell or buy, the bigger the winning
ticket. We need your help to make this raffle a huge
success! Keep up the good work!
Drawing the night of the Gala - Saturday, March 16th
Sisterhood & Brotherhood ask you to...
REMEMBER TO RECYCLE
Save, rinse (if needed) and bring to the Temple:
Cans, plastic, small glass bottles, and ink cartridges
PAGE 7
MA R C H 2 0 1 3 / 5 7 7 3 A D A R — NI S S A N 5 7 7 3
A Message From The President of Brotherhood
Gordon Poster
For those of
you
who
missed
the
first Brotherhood
sponsored fashion show at the Temple in
which the net proceeds will be split
50/50 between Brotherhood and the
Alzheimer’s Association, you missed a
great transformation of the social hall,
great food, silent auction and of course
a great fashion show. I would like to
take this time to congratulate my Boss,
Janet Harris, she did a great job.
Now on to what’s coming up for the
March 14th dinner meeting. We will
discuss genealogy with new Temple
member and Brotherhood member
Terry Friedman. Terry has been involved with genealogy for over 25
years. Utilizing his knowledge in the
topic he has worked with the Wiesenthal Center in helping protect genealogies of the Jewish peoples throughout
the world. He also teaches genealogy at the
temple for adults and children with his wonderful wife Suzie. Suzie and Terry also have
a blog with in excess of 1,000 readers, http://
beginninggenealogybyterryandsuzie.blogspot.com/. Here you will find a copy
of his biography utilized by Yahoo for the
numerous articles he has written for them.
Gordon will serve dinner at 6 pm and Terry
will begin his presentation about 6:45. Dinner
will be dairy for those who might need to ask
and the cost is $12.00. Remember, this is a
no frills dinner and we do not provide a great
deal of staff. If you would like wine with your
dinner please bring your own, there is NO
corkage fee.
Now on to the next item. Brotherhood has
been in contact with the producer of an independent film that has acclaimed several
awards, The Yankels. Please feel free to
Google this. This will be a Coachella Valley
premier. We are working on the details at
this time and hope to have a dinner and
movie on Saturday April 27. Details will
follow soon. And since we are on the
movie subject, we are looking to have a
regular Dinner, Movie and discussion for
either during the summer months or for
next season.
All the films will have something to do
with Judaism or have main characters that
are, or were, Jewish. Films such as Fiddler
on the Roof, John Houston’s The Bible,
and how about The Frisco Kid. We realize
that there are so many films that we will
select films with the discussion with the
rabbi and plan to make this a temple affair.
Thank you for all the support you have
given Brotherhood and I wish all you a
Happy Pesach.
SOCIAL ACTION
A Message from Charlotte Burkholz
The Social
Action
Committee held its first
Town Hall Meeting on
Sunday, February 17th,
titled “Mental Health
and Suicide Prevention.” It was presented
by the American Society of Suicide Prevention and led by a
research psychiatrist and a panel of community resource people. Attendees were
informed of up-to-date scientific information for their own help and those of their
loved ones.
made to recognize suicidal behavior in
adolescents. The American Society of
Suicide Prevention has developed an
educational program to help teachers
and other school personnel learn more
about teen suicide and how they can
play a role in its prevention. Also in
place is a new screening program for
college students, which has shown to be
effective in getting those at risk into
treatment. It is being used at MIT, Cornell, and the University of Colorado, as
well as five medical schools, including
the University of California at San Diego.
Other highlights of this outstanding program
were research studies identifying genetic
links to attempted suicide, bipolar disorder,
drug misuse, and the prevalent stigma of
acknowledging that the problem exists.
Knowledge is power, and it is the only way
to combat this alarming crisis.
On the panel were representatives of
NAMI (National Alliance of Mental Illness,)
Oasis Community Services, Jewish Family
Service of the Desert, and the Mourning
Star Center, a support group for grieving
young children, teens, and their families.
Also present was a survivor of attempted
suicide who told her gripping story.
An important sector of our society subject to suicide is our veterans. In the
last three years, the rate of suicide has
increased dramatically. Attention is being paid to its prevention and follow up
treatment. Also recognized as another
group needing special attention is men
45 to 65 years old. This trend has reflected the troublesome economic climate.
The 3rd Annual Coachella Valley Community
Walk, called “Out of Darkness,” sponsored
by the American Foundation of Suicide Prevention, will be held Saturday, March 16th
at Palm Desert Civic Center Park.
Statistics of suicide are alarming. They
reinforce the call for attention to this pervasive problem. A special effort is being
A free support group for survivors of suicide
loss for people over the age of 18 and
those who have survived a suicide attempt
is held the second Tuesday of each month
in Palm Desert. Call 760-836-0360 for more
information.
Please visit the Social Action table in the
temple foyer for the services available to our
congregation and community in many areas
of need.
PAGE 8
MA R C H 2 0 1 3 / 5 7 7 3 A D A R — NI S S A N 5 7 7 3
MA R C H 2 0 1 3 / 5 7 7 3 A D A R — NI S S A N 5 7 7 3
PAGE 9
A Message From The President of Sisterhood
Flo Medove
A very special Sisterhood Shabbat will
take place on March
8th. Please join us
in celebrating our
Sisterhood led Friday Night Service, with
the beautiful voices of Sybil Semar, Cantorial Soloist Randy Tichauer, and Rabbi
Jordan.
In honor of our Sisterhood Shabbat, I
would like to share this prayer by Robin
Fox from Covenant Of The Soul.
The stillness of the surrounding hills
Brings Shabbat to life
As we come together
To pray and give thanks.
We give thanks for the beauty
That is ours to behold.
We give thanks for being
In this time and place.
We give thanks for our family of
friends
As we share this moment of special joy.
As our voices join together
Our voices become one
Our hearts become one
And we each marvel at the emotions within us.
Feelings that come from deep
within
And go beyond measure
Because of this connection we call
Sisterhood.
Coming events:
Nominations for 2013—2014: Gloria
Rudetsky is Chairman; let her know you
would be interested on serving on next
year’s Sisterhood Board. Her number
is 760-776-9451 or [email protected]
Temple Gala and Raffle - March 16th
March 19th - Luncheon - Speaker
Dr. Richard Seigle, presenting a slide
show titled "A Navajo Journey," and will
discuss Navajo philosophies and healing
concepts.
Happy Passover!
SISTERHOOD TRIBUTES
SYMPATHY
Mr. and Mrs. Kenneth Klipper &
Family
Ethel & Nat Cooperman
Sharyn McKee, in memory of her
mother, Renee Arbitman
Judy Egendorf
Elaine Eldred
Mary Gorfine
Gayle Jacobson
Nancy Levine
Carolyn Nigosian
Laura Poster
Julie Rescigno
Donna Rosenblum
Debbie Ruderman
Lori Sanford
Eileen Savan
THANK YOU TO OUR PURIM CARNIVAL SPONSORS!!!
Nancy & Ed Singer
Mitzie & Jack Olshansky
Horne Family
Kathy & Fred Fabricant
Flo Medove
Dr. Eric & Mallory Freedman
Anonymous
PAGE 10
MA R C H 2 0 1 3 / 5 7 7 3 A D A R — NI S S A N 5 7 7 3
Sparks of Torah—March 2013 Torah Readings
Dan Stork
March 2: Ki Tisa
-- Exod. 30:1134:35
We
traveled
across the U.S.A.
last spring, visiting many places we'd
never been. (The Tulip Festival in Holland, Michigan! The Crystal Bridges
Museum in Bentonville, Arkansas!
Mount Rushmore in South Dakota!) On
a drizzly morning in May that turned
into a beautiful day, we detoured to
South Bend, Indiana in order to walk
around the campus of Notre Dame University. Among the meticulously manicured grounds and buildings was a
statue of Moses in front of the Hesburgh Library, sculpted by Joseph Tukalj, a Croatian-born artist who was on
the Notre Dame faculty in the 1950s
and 1960s. (Take a look: Put "Moses
Notre Dame" into your search engine.)
From a distance, I knew it was Moses
because of the posture and the tablets
he held, but most strikingly because of
horns sprouting from his forehead. (In
some corners of the world, people have
thought all Jews had horns. My sister
encountered this in the 1950s in a
classmate in her nursing classes who
was from the Midwest.) I was familiar
with this artistic convention, from
Michelangelo's Moses, but it was star-
REMEMBERANCE AND
GENERAL FUND
TRIBUTES
IN MEMORY OF
Jack Minuck, Husband of Goldie
Minuck
By Shirley Kimmel
Stuart Schulman
By Bud & Rosalie Booke
YAHRZEIT
Jack Corngold
Byrdie Weinstein
By Carole & Jerry Corngold
Linda Bookin
By Renee & Ron Partelow
Helen Weiss
Sarah Girgus
By Marvin & Patricia Weiss
Mort Leib
By Elaine Leib
tling and a little disturbing to see it on
a modern American work of art. The
source for this convention is a mistranslation of a part of a verse in this
week's portion:
"And was when Moses was coming
down from Mount Sinai, and the two
tablets of the Testimony were in
Moses’ hand when he was coming
down from the mount. And Moses
had not known that the skin of his
face was transformed when He was
speaking with him." (Exodus 34:29)
The explanation I've heard is that the
mistake derives from conflation of the
Hebrew word ka-ran (transformed)
with the Latin cornu (horn).
In checking out the source, I saw
something I'd not paid attention to
before. The transformation in Moses'
face was permanent, so that he took
to wearing a veil except when speaking to God or revealing to the people
what God had said. Why?
a sequence of layers between the people and
the Divine -- the design of the Tabernacle is that
of a progression of tents within tents, each
"holier" than the one that contains it. Moses'
veil is another layer of this sort. But Friedman
likes to view these layers not as separations,
but as connections between man and God. In
his words, "The fabrics of the veil and the tents
give a tangibility to the channel of communication with the divine, and at the same time they
preserve the quality of mystery that we have
seen to surround the knowledge of YHWH."
March 9: Vayak'heil/P'kudei -- Exod. 35:1-40:38
March 16; Vayikra -- Lev. 1:1-5:26
March 23: Tzav -- Lev. 6:1-8:36
March 30: Chol HaMoed Pesach -- Exodus
33:12-34:26
In his Torah commentary, Richard
Friedman refers to another scholar,
William Propp, who argues that
Moses' face was disfigured from some
aspect of his direct encounter with
God. Friedman steps away from the
literal and puts the veil in a context of
Erwin Corwin
By Judith Corwin
Jerome Kornbluth
Jean Kornbluth
By Shari Rosen
Rosalie Block
By Leonard Block, Highland
Park, IL
David Bilchik
By Gerre Chudacoff
Joseph Kramer
By Gordon Kramer
Anna Turetsky Rubin
By Charlotte Geier
Gayle Halperin Kahn
By Margot & Jerry Halperin
Arden Paul Glatt
By Helen Fine Glatt,
Thornton, CO
Monty Bandar
Leila Gilbert
By Shirley Bandar
Dr. Sanford Pelz
By Willard Pelz
Mac Becker
By Joan Garner, Newport
Beach, CA
Mary Taich
By Rozalyn & Jerry Ellerin
Beachwood, OH
Cathy Brockman
By Henry Brockman
Phillip Gershon
By Rita Gershon
Sabrina Grossinger
By Paul and Rose Grossinger
Anna Goodman
By Peggy & Larry Neikrug
Rose Paul (Raizel Bas Yisrael)
By Susan Goldfine
SIMCHAS
Happy Birthday Ed Singer
By Marjorie & Harry Tobias
Mazel Tov Rabbi & Veda Ofseyer
on your grandchildrens simchas!
By J. & H. Solomon
MA R C H 2 0 1 3 / 5 7 7 3 A D A R — NI S S A N 5 7 7 3
Mazel Tov Betty Colt on your Bat Mitzvah
By Diana McGinity
Charlotte and Howard Burkholz
Elaine Kravitz
Alicia Rodriguez
Fred and Kathy Fabricant
Happy 90th Birthday to Geri Needleman, a wonderful friend
By Elaine Kravitz
Happy 86th Birthday to Elaine Kravitz,
retiring from the Food Bank after all this
time—WOW!
THANK YOU
Judi Gottesman & Dori Brown
for your hospitality.
By Sherry & Alan Salzman
Elaine Kravitz
By Minnie Shupak
Ethel Cooperman, Jean Fishkin & Shirley
Kimmel
Linny Smith for a wonderful recital,
By Elaine Kravitz
Elaine Kravitz
By Henry Brockman
PAGE 11
TZEDAKAH
Leroy Redman
David & Rae Smerling, Highland Park, IL
KADIMA BUILDING FUND
IN MEMORY OF
Dan Brown
By Irma & Jayson Brodie
Wayland, MA
RABBI AVI LEVINE
RELIGIOUS SCHOOL
YAHRZEIT
Lucy Rothstein
Harry Rosenby
Dr. Abraham Rothstein
By Susan Rosenby
Josephine Usow
By Renee Blatt, Newport
Coast, CA
SID HANDELMAN MITZVAH FOOD FUND
IN MEMORY OF
Karen Lois Weissman-Belsky
By Gloria & Ed Rudetsky
YAHRZEIT
Marion Gates
Maurice Germaine
By Jean Fishkin
Gerald Marker
Richard Siegel
By Marilyn Marker
Etta Cetner
By Helene Cetner,
Los Angeles, CA
Bertha Rudetsky
By Ed & Gloria Rudetsky
Kate Kimmel
By Shirley Kimmel
Carl Soneson
By Diane Kaplan-Berk
Sadie Korman
By Jerry & Sherrie Korman
TZEDAKAH
TZEDAKAH
Mr & Mrs. D. Bell, Winnipeg, Canada
Morris Glesby, Houston, TX
Richard & Judith Matza,
Portland, Oregon
Joan & Alan Levey, St. Paul, MN
Honoring Gail Jacobs
By Dr. Matt Werner
Sharon Thompson, Encino, CA
Dr. Harold & Ruth Kaiser,
Winnetonka, MN
Marvin & Rachel Siegel, Wilmette, IL
Douglas Barr, Sacramento, CA
SYMPATHY
Sharyn McKee, in memory of her
mother, Renee Arbitman
By Charlotte Burkholz
RABBI’S
DISCRETIONARY FUND
YAHRZEIT
Harry Barnhard
By Betty Feinberg
Eva Krasna Aberman
By Natalie & Bud Harris
SIMCHAS
Happy Birthday Ed Singer
By Eileen Eisenberg & Marc
Kashinsky
Howard & Linda Vogel
Barbara & Ira Levin, West
Hartford, CT
Patricia Wolkoff, Hudson, WI
Trudy Sandler
TZEDAKAH
Jackie Drucker
In appreciation to Temple Sinai
By Bud & Robin Marcus
SAMSON ZIMRA FUND
SIMCHAS
Honoring Betty Colt on her Bat
Mitzvah-Mazel Tov!
By Sandy Schachter
YAHRZEIT
Helen Teller, my mother
By Trudy Sandler
DOROSHOW EDUCATION
FUND
YAHRZEIT
Erwin Kaufman
Lottie Doroshow
By Dr. Mark & Fran Kaufman
Clara Halpern
By Mark & Fran Kaufman
KADIMA FUND
TEICHNER TIKVAH
PRESCHOOL FUND
YAHRZEIT
Esther Miller
By Dr. Martin & Barbara Cotler
SIMCHAS
Happy Birthday Barbara Fuller
By Ruth Fiden
Social Action
Caring Committee
If you are ill, in the hospital,
or need assistance in any way,
please call Jackie Drucker,
760-202-3943
In you need assistance to
complete a shiva minyon, call
Jackie Drucker 760-202-3943
PAGE 12
MA R C H 2 0 1 3 / 5 7 7 3 A D A R — NI S S A N 5 7 7 3
Patron Benefactor
Shirley & Burton Kaplan
Committees & Auxiliaries
Executive
President: Jack Olshansky
4th Thursday, 3 p.m.
President’s Circle
Dori Brown
Rita Gershon
Judi Gottesman
Kathy Kapler
Joel & JoAnn Kocen
Jeffrey Louis
Mitzie & Jack Olshansky
Paul & Carrie Stone
Marvin & Patricia Weiss
Membership
Chair: Bud Booke
Ritual Practices
Chair: Fred Fabricant
Finance
Chair: Dan Rosen
Patron
Marion & Dale Cowle
Frank Goodman
Leslie & Joel Hirschberg
Dan & Shari Rosen
Sheryl Sherman
Sam & Diane Weiss
House & Grounds
Chair: Paul Stone
Ways & Means
Chair: Howard Vogel
Sisterhood
President: Flo Medove
2nd Tuesday, 10 a.m.
Mitzvah
Jean Carrus
Bahman & Beatrice Eslamboly
Margaret & Fred Fabricant
Arline Greenblatt
Susan & Gregory Kassel
Shirley Kimmel
S. L., Jr. & Amelia Kopald
Paula & Vernon Kozlen
Flo Medove
Brotherhood
President: Gordon Poster
1st Friday, 8 a.m.
IN MEMORIAM
Margaret Minsky
Sister of Mitzie Olshansky
Mildred “Mimi” Karpman
Beloved friend of Charlotte Geier
Sherman Greengus
Father of Mindy Rose
Father-in-law of Robert Rose
Grandfather of Evan & Seth Rose
Eugene Glick
Husband of Honey Glick
Father of Debbie George & Grandfather of
Gabby George
Kyle Kauffman
Brother of Mary Beth Mittleman
Jack Minuck
Husband of Goldie Minuck
Richard Kohan
Brother of Gloria Vann
Irving Warner
Flo Medove
Education
Chair: Sharyn McKee
Social Action
Chair: Charlotte Burkholz
Board of Trustees
4th Thursday, 4 p.m.
Executive Board
The Caring Committee
Chair: Jacqueline Drucker
Please let us know if you or someone you
know would like us to call.
We are here for you.
Call the Temple at 568-9699.
Jack Olshansky, President
Beatrice Eslamboly, First Vice President
Sharyn McKee, Vice President-Education
Judi Gottesman, Past President
Dan Rosen, Director of Finance
Paul Stone, House & Grounds Chair
Fred Fabricant, Ritual Committee Chair
Board of Trustees
Bud Booke, Membership Chair
Gloria Rudetsky, Recording Secretary
Howard Vogel, Ways & Means Chair
Flo Medove, Sisterhood President
Gordon Poster, Brotherhood President
Rancy Feldman, Promise at Sinai Liaison
Bill Ferstenfeld, Member at Large
Staff
Rabbi Jordan Ofseyer
Cantorial Soloist Randy Tichauer
Miri Ketayi, Director of Education
Arava Talve, B’nai Mitzvah Coordinator
Debbie Midcalf, Director of Tikvah
Jennifer Feldstein, Assistant to Rabbi
Toni Knorr, Interim Administrator
Digna Diaz, Bookkeeper
Francisco Rodriguez, Maintenance
Ruben Cervantes, Maintenance
Food Bank Volunteers, Steve
Manning, Ed Rudetsky, and
Elaine Kravitz hard at work.
PAGE 13
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B’NAI MITZVAH MARCH 2013
Bat Mitzvah of Gabrielle George
March 2, 2013
Hi, my name is Gabby George. I am in seventh grade at Palm Desert Charter Middle
School. Dancing is my life. I live, breathe, and sleep dance. My favorite styles of dance
are Jazz and Hip Hop because they allow you to express yourself and be funky. I also
enjoy cheer and hope to be a model/actress one day. I want to become a Camp Counselor at Camp Hess Kramer, as well, because I love working with kids. I have attended
Temple Sinai since I was five years old. I have always looked forward to becoming a Bat
Mitzvah, and now I am finally having this great experience. I want to thank my mom and
dad, and my Melamedet Arava Talve for pushing me through when I thought I wouldn’t
be able to do this.
Bar Mitzvah of Jacob Cherlin
March 16, 2013
Jacob Cherlin is in the 7th Grade at Palm Desert Charter Middle School. He moved to the
desert from Long Island, New York about one and a half years ago. He lives in Palm Desert with his mom, dad, big brother and little sister. While he likes living in the desert, he
considerers himself a New Yorker at heart. Jacob enjoys playing football for the PDLQ
Roadrunners, BMX bikes, movies and hanging out with his friends
Bat Mitzvah of Raya Cowle
March 23, 2013
Raya is originally from St. Louis Missouri and moved to Rancho
Mirage with her two brothers (Nathan and Ezekiel) and parents
nearly eight years ago to be near her grandparents Marion and
Dale Cowle. She misses the thunderstorms and snow!
When she moved to the Desert, Raya took up horseback riding
and now spends her summers at a Horse Camp where the campers do all of the work taking care of the horses. At home Raya helps take care of her
three cats, three dogs and a desert tortoise.
From the age of three, Raya has been in love with ballet and continues to take lessons in
Palm Desert. A highlight was performing on stage with the Moscow Ballet at the
McCallum for the Nutcracker several years in a row.
Raya is creative. Dance choreography, writing, painting, fashion and singing are all active
outlets for Raya’s imagination and spirit. Raya’s three favorite television shows are Top
Gear, Doctor Who and Supernatural.
She will be called to the Torah on 23 March for her Bat Mitzvah. Raya sincerely hopes that
all of you will join her!
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MA R C H 2 0 1 3 / 5 7 7 3 A D A R — NI S S A N 5 7 7 3
A reminder that proper attire should be worn when participating in
services at Temple Sinai Temple. Your cooperation with this matter
is greatly appreciated
PLEASE NOTE: We do our best to make sure that our calendars are
accurate but schedules can change. For the most up-to-date information, please check our website calendar at
www.templesinaipd.org
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MA R C H 2 0 1 3 / 5 7 7 3 A D A R — NI S S A N 5 7 7 3
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MA R C H 2 0 1 3 / 5 7 7 3 A D A R — NI S S A N 5 7 7 3
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PA
MA R C H 2 0 1 3 / 5 7 7 3 A D A R — NI S S A N 5 7 7 3
73-251 Hovley Lane West Palm Desert CA 92260 760-568-9699
Www.templesinaipd.org